The Impossible Analysis
by CaseyBensonNovak
Summary: Maura is faced with a conflict between her professional and personal lives.  When she is forced to make a life changing decision, can she gather the courage to hurt the one she loves to do so?


_Author's note: I've been wanting to write a Rizzoli and Isles story for months, but I haven't had the time to sit down and plan it. However, I was feeling particularly inspired today, so I decided to exploit that. I don't normally open with scenes like this, but I have a nice chunk of the story planned out in my head, and this was the best way I could think of to start. Reviews would be greatly appreciated :). As always, thanks for reading._

The morgue was eerily silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the ticking of the clock in the corner, and the gentle scraping of the scalpel as it came into contact with human flesh. As Maura worked, her hair tied back to keep it out of her face, she had a goal in mind, a purpose. Every step was mapped in her head, along with every possible ramification of each move. As she separated the heard from its surrounding tissue, Maura knew precision and accuracy were instrumental to this step.

"You missed a spot."

Maura jumped, nearly poking a hole in the section of the heart she had been working on. "Jane," she scolded. "You know better than to sneak up on me while I'm doing this. I almost severed the epicardial adipose tissue. Do you know what that means?"

Jane shrugged, standing on the other side of the slab. "That I need a dictionary just to figure out what the hell you said to me?" the detective asked, cracking a playful smile.

"There are three types of tissue layers related to the heart," Maura began, believing that what the other woman wanted was clarification. "There is the pericardium, which is in charge of protecting the heart. There is also the endocardium, and the..."

Jane cut her off, holding her hand up to signal that she had heard enough. "I swear sometimes I wonder if you go to sleep with a medical book in one hand and a dictionary in the other. Maura, it's after midnight. When do you plan on leaving and socializing with living, breathing organisms?"

"When I'm finished with Jack here," Maura answered, patting the body on the slab. "He needs me right now. I wouldn't want to make him feel lonely."

Jane looked down at the dead body between them, and rolled her eyes. "Will Jack let you step out for a coffee break, at least?"

"Jane, I have to finish," Maura responded, reaching for the scissors. "I have to at least get his heart separated, out, and into a jar so I can preserve it." She suddenly held up the scalpel, which made Jane take a step backward, though Maura didn't notice. "What kind of coffee?"

"Italian," Jane answered, grinning.

Maura returned the smile, chuckling as she focused her attention once more on the body in front of her. "Just let me finish this," she replied. "From the outside, it appears as if Jack here died from natural causes, but look at his heart."

Jane moved closer, examining the organ in question. She folded her arms across her chest. "It looks black," she murmured. "Was he poisoned?"

Maura shook her head. "He had cancer. But I don't think that's what killed him. When the body was found he had knife wounds all over his body. When I examined his femoral artery, I discovered that it had been severed. He exsanguinated."

"He bled to death," Jane repeated.

Maura looked up at her. "Why must you make everything I say sound so simple?"

"Why must you make everything so complicated?" Jane asked, arching her eyebrows.

Maura ignored that comment, focusing on her work once more. With the scalpel, she succeeded in separating the heart from its surrounding membranes and tissues, and carefully transferred it out of the body and into the jar filled with fluid to preserve organs. Placing the lid on the jar, Maura made sure it was as tight as she could get it, then she turned to Jane. "Let me stitch him up and clean everything, and then I'll be ready." The prospect of spending the night with the beautiful detective was an appealing one, indeed. Maura wished desperately that she knew how Jane felt about her. Especially since Maura had never been with a woman, much less in love with one.

An hour and a half later, the two women sat alone in the back of the deserted coffee shop. It was cozy, and quiet, and Maura was unsuccessfully attempting to ignore the romantic undertones. She watched as Jane took a rather large sip of her coffee, and shook her head. "I don't know how you drink that," she murmured, shaking her head. "No milk, and no sugar...I mean how is that remotely tasty?"

"If I wanted syrup, I would have brought pancakes," Jane answered, gesturing to the two empty sugar packets stacked neatly next to Maura's coffee cup.

"Sugar has its benefits," Maura answered. "It is often misunderstood, like citric acid..."

Jane held up her hand for the second time that night. "Maura, if this is like your story about honey, I don't want to know if it helps men in bed or not," the detective responded. She picked her cup up again and finished the coffee within, then yawned, checking her watch. "It's after two," she read. "I think I'm ready to call it a night." She looked over at Maura. "Can you stay the night tonight? My mom is out of town for a few days, so it would just be us."

"And Bass," Maura said.

"Yes, Maura, and your tortoise," Jane replied. "Let me rephrase. Would you and your giant amphibian like to spend the night at my place?"

Maura finished her own coffee and laid some money on the table for a tip. Standing up, she buttoned her coat, and as she and Jane began to walk out of the shop together, she said "I think you mean reptile."

"Maura, don't make me glue your lips shut," Jane threatened, digging her keys out of her pocket.

Within forty five minutes, Jane and Maura were laying on their backs in Jane's bed, while Bass dozed on the floor beside them. Maura turned her head, looking over at the beautiful detective with a soft smile. "This was the perfect end to the night," she murmured. "Coffee with my best friend, then going back to said best friend's place and relaxing..."

"Right," Jane replied quietly.

Maura sat up, concerned. "Jane, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is it something I said? I knew I shouldn't have told you what's in toothpaste while you brushed your teeth."

Jane shook her head, sighing. "No, it's not that, although that was quite intriguing."

"Then what is wrong with you?" Maura questioned, looking into the other woman's eyes. As she spoke, she couldn't help but realize how close they were laying. Their bodies were touching underneath the covers, and Maura tried to ignore the spark of excitement that shot through her. She wondered what was going on with her lately. She felt like a lovesick schoolgirl, which was a strange break from her normal self, the confident doctor.

Jane reached for the lamp beside the bed and shut the light off, making the room pitch black. "It's nothing, Maura," she sighed. "I'm fine. See you in the morning," she murmured, rolling onto her other side.

With Jane's back turned to her, Maura allowed her mind to wander to every possibility about what could be wrong with the detective. She knew she had been harsh after Jane had shot her father, but she wondered if that was what had Jane so uncharacteristically on edge. Maura ran through the events of the last several weeks in her mind, but each time, she drew a blank, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not figure out what was going on with the detective. Sighing, she, too, rolled onto her other side, so that she and Jane were back to back. After several more moments of trying to analyze the reasons for Jane's odd behavior, Maura slipped into an uneasy sleep. She hoped that the morning would bring more answers.

_Author's note: I promise my chapters are not usually this short. The next one will be longer, I promise. Think of this chapter as more of a prologue. Thanks for reading. Please review. _


End file.
